HELP! Auto trans problems

[boggy2006]

this time it seems serious! I got the Patrol just 2 months ago, paid top wack for it as it was in good condition, full service history, all oils were clean and topped up and it had no apparent problems after a thorough inspection and test drive.

However, in just those 2 months, I've had a fuel leak, radiator leak, power steering leak, idle problem..... and now a potentially knackered auto box.

A while ago, I posted that the power steering had leaked and became noisy. I topped it up and all was ok for 2 days, then it started making a similar whining noise again. Or so I thought. Tonight, I took off the power steering belt and ran the engine, to my horror, the whining noise was still there.

It's sort of a zingy whining noise, like you get from cheap RC car plastic gearboxes. It's there in park when the engine is running and changes with the revs but not road speed. I used the trick of a steel bar against my ear, touching various parts of the car with the engine running and it's worst when touching the torque convertor, but is also apparent when touching the gearbox sump. It really sounds like an RC car gearbox inside the torque convertor. It certainly wasn't there when I got the car, it was just after the power steering noise was fixed. The oil is nice and pink, smells great and is the correct level.

I don't know if it's related and can't remember it being like this when I got the car, but 2nd to 3rd gear change is even more sluggish than the others. It holds on to 2nd for a few secs after the revs drop, before it picks up into 3rd.

This is my first Patrol, but I've had nothing but problems with what seemed to be a good car. I never had anything like this with my "weak" Delica which was thashed off road. This car doesn't look like it's ever seen a dirt track even. I've bought wheels and springs to go on it, but seem to be forever fixing other issues which crop up weekly (just done the wheel bearings this weekend).

Any help would be much appreciated. I've got a warranty, but it only covers the first $1000 with a $200 xs, I can see it being more than that to fix!!:furious:

[Bigrig]

Mate - you have the same age and model as mine - so sorry to hear of the issues, but that said, with about 230k's on the car, the auto transmission was replaced ... I sincerely hope that not be the case with yours, and Tony and crew without doubt know their stuff, so will be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck with it mate (I know that doesn't help any as such, but we are all wishing for the best).

[Finly Owner]

Are you sure Fluid is pink? not red? Pink is usally a sign of either water in tranny or Tranny fluid aerating. This with gears playing up would say to me, box is definately overdue for service. It may be too late now though. I am leaning towards a torque converter issue. Just gathering all your symptons and picking what seems to fit , from everything that I have learnt about auto problems in general. But, I have not heard of Patrol Torq Converters playing up.

Tim

[YNOT]

I know you are saying the noise seems loudest from the transmission but the first thing I would try if you have not already is removing all the belts. Big rigs alternator made a zingy whining noise just before it failed. I hope for your sake it's something that simple, but it does not sound likely.
The fact that your noise is accompanied by a gear shifting problem does not sound good for your transmission. Do you know what brand and grade oil is in the auto?

Tony

[boggy2006]

thanks guys, I drained a bit of oil out of the trans last night to check the proper colour, it's more red than pink, but with a slight brownish hue to it. I think I will change the oil this weekend and clean out the internal filter. I'll also try disconnecting the belt to the alternator, but it seems pretty quiet as far as I can tell. Not sure what's in the box already as it was done by the previous owner, so could be anything I guess, I'll replace it with Dexron II or III, whichever is available.
Whatever is making the buzzing/whining noise is something that's connected to the engine output shaft into the gearbox as it varies with engine revs, but is there in any gear, P and N.

Bigrig - how much was your replacement box (cringe)?

[YNOT]

Nissan Matic D is the correct oil and is the equivalent of Japanese Dexron II. Use of the Australian Dexron II may cause damage to the automatic transmission.

Tony

[boggy2006]

yep, just spoke with the Nissan dealer and they say Nissan D matic and nothing else, so thanks for that YNOT. 10.7l total, $75 per 5l. Should be some left in the box after a drain, so 2x5l cans should do it.

[boggy2006]

well, fingers, legs, toes crossed and touch wood......the noise has gone away. I drained the old oil out of the trans last night and added the super expensive Nissan stuff (took about 6 litres of new stuff), dropped the sump and cleaned it out including the filter. There weren't any metal flakes in there or anything, just a fine black powder stuck to the magnet. Got the level spot on (it was over when I got the car) and it sounds fine now. Got the nice rumble of the big 4.2 back, instead of a horrible whine. I really hope it hasn't screwed anything up too much inside. 2nd-3rd is still a bit sluggish, but then it has got 260k's on the clock.

[Woof]

I hope that was the issue there mate and everything stays fine now.

[Finly Owner]

Oh dear, I hadn't been back here b4 you did oil. I apoligise, did anyone advise you to remove toque convertor and drain it. It usually hold a quantity of fluid in there alone. I hope it doesn't affect your new oil too much.

Tim

[YNOT]

Removing the torque converter is a rather large job, not many people remove a transmission to change the oil. The only way to flush all the oil out with out removing the trans is by doing a pressure flush with the engine running, and that uses up to 30 liters of oil.

Tony

[Finly Owner]

How important is getting out that last bit?

[YNOT]

Usually not that important. As you pointed out the torque converter does hold a substancial amount of oil, roughly half of the total transmission oil capacity is in the converter. When you drop the pan to change the oil you only replace about half the fluid. Run the engine for a while and change the oil again and the old oil will be diluted to about 25%.

I have done pressure flushes manually (on Ford falcons) using a hand pump in a 60 litre oil drum. I disconnected the outlet from the transmission cooler and fitted a clear tube to direct waste oil to a second drum. Start the engine and start pumping clean oil in through the dip stick tube at "about" the same rate as the oil coming out. All the time watching the color of the oil coming out, shut down when the oil coming out the clear tube changes from brown to red. It's messy and uses a lot of oil but gets the job done.

Tony

[Finly Owner]

Ok if you're not paying for oil aye?

[Clunk]

so from what I'm reading, it's ok to just replace the transimssion oil that drains, with out having to flush out the whole system? Or is it best to change it a couple of times to dilute the amount of old fluid? Only asking coz am looking at replacing all fluids and coolant over the next couple of weeks and want to make sure I'm doing it right................ no point in doing a half arsed job of it.

Cheers

[YNOT]

It is better to change it a couple of times, but it's not a cheap exercise.

Tony

[boggy2006]

thanks all for your comments. I think I'll have to stick with the basic oil change as dropping the torque convertor out is a bit of a big job for my wee self with limited facilities. At best I'll let it run for a bit then drain some more out and top it up with what I've got left over (about 4l). I'm just glad the whine has gone (so far!).

[Clunk]

It is better to change it a couple of times, but it's not a cheap exercise.

Tony

Thanks for clearing that one up Tony, Cheers